Making cool uncool

So after a trip to Hong Kong, I decided to purchase myself a pair of Adidas Stan Smith as I used to wear the Adidas brand to school as a teenager. It appears white sneakers are back in vogue again and they were pretty popular in Hong Kong.

My seventeen year old nephew disagrees, he thinks I purchased the most generic sneaker around; with his Asics Get Lyte III, he apparently knows cool. In fact, I get the distinct impression that I just may have made cool uncool in his eyes. He is probably right, I am pushing fifty after all so I fall slightly outside the brand's market segment. An old bugger trying to remain cool in his own eyes when he wasn't ever cool to start off with probably isn't a great look. But what do I care? The older you get the less you care about other people's views anyway.

A November graduation

So my online studies have come to an end, my course ended at the completion of the second trimester 2017 after beginning in the first trimester 2015. Before that, I had undertaken a Bachelor of Training & Development beginning in 2012 and ending in 2014. So I really feel this has been pretty much non-stop study during that time over two qualifications.

I really didn't think I could complete another trimester of study, I was totally spent and I just had enough. I had taken a three month break in mid 2014 before taking on a further unit and then starting the master's degree. That's way too much study over a prolonged period and I now have to turn this into a career positive in a depressed employment market.

One positive being in the training sector is consulting with industry representatives directly or indirectly through industry associations and advisory boards. The general consensus is that economic indications are tending to see a mild recovery leading to a mild hiring increase of trainees and apprentices in the technical fields. I am also receiving sms notifications on my phone from labour hire contractors offering employment opportunities.

I really need to generate opportunities and need to be a little creative as the recovery is soft and still in the early stages. We have now seen the bottom of the downturn and the tentative recovery is looking positive. So I will be booking flights to Adelaide so pick up my certificate but the real reason is to network with my classmates so as to generate leads for future employment opportunities. Now it is time for me to get serious and get out there and make the last two and a half years count.

Hong Kong imported produce

I had read that fresh produce was both difficult to obtain and expensive to purchase in Hong Kong. It is well known that the cost of living is very expensive in Hong Kong and imported food in the form of fruit is highly prized.

So when I was in Hong Kong, I set about to see if this in fact true so when the opportunity to wander around a typical Hong Kong market arose - I was pretty enthusiastic. What I saw was somewhat different from what I had read in magazine articles. The author stated single strawberries were sold on wrapped pummels for extridinory prices, my investigations indicated otherwise.

I viewed pummels of strawberries similar to what I purchase in Perth. Likewise, Royal Gala apples were loosely sold and stacked on displays So I'm more than a little suspicions of this reporting. Yes, the cost of housing has skyrocketed in Hong Kong, yes the cost of living is high but I found no evidence to support the notion that fresh fruit and vegetables are so expensive in Hong Kong that they need to be sold in single units.

A pretty good night at Buto't Bulat

Having arrived in Iloilo well after dark we were faced with the question of where to eat. The plane had been delayed numerous times throughout the day, the morning flight was cancelled, that left the early afternoon flight, more waiting with no staff interaction ensured patience was drawing short, our departure not long before sunset had totally wasted the day.

Notwithstanding the unprofessional conduct of Cebu Pacific, we were excited about being in Iloilo as we were informed the local seafood was outstanding so we headed out to Buto't Balat for dinner.

I decided to begin with a dozen raw oysters in shells that looked like they had been just plucked from the water, not much effort had been placed in presentation but I didn't care. I was in the Philippine province, there was no need for fanciness here.

The local prawns were better presented, not over cooked and the fish was exquisite. If you get the basics right then the rest takes care of itself and this is a pretty good restaurant.

Black Tuesday - the 1987 stockmarket crash aftermath

Ok ok, I know it is referred to as Black Monday when the New York Stock Exchange went into meltdown but for those of us in Australia, it was the Tuesday when the carnage began following the lead from Wall Street. Not that I would really know because as an eighteen year old, I wasn't yet invested in any sharemarkets.

I had bought into my first mutual fund in May 1989 and purchased my first shares in 1990; so whilst the memory of the 1987 stockmarket crash was still very raw for many, I was just beginning my journey in independent investment.

I look back at the projections from my mutual fund where a twenty year old making a twenty dollar a week contribution would at retirement have between $1.5 million to $2.9 million in this investment account depending on earnings. I finally cashed out of this fund at age fourty eight with only $55,000 in total.

I never believed these projections, so despite the dire warnings to stay away from the sharemarket after the 1987 stockmarket crash, I wanted to become an investor. I thought I could do better but decided to run dual accounts just in case I messed up and lost all my money; at least I had a back-up plan to support my retirement.

I would never had guessed that this particular fund would be such a poor performer and I, a novice out-performed the fund managers. I may not have out-performed professional fund managers in terms of gross returns, but in the case of net returns with their fees deducted, I find I am way closer that I should be. No correct that - I am way out in front.

So I find myself in the precarious position, I joined this mutual fund and I contributed equal to $20 per week for twenty eight years indexed to inflation so my actual contributions were much higher. Plus I put a couple of lump sum payments in and looking at the actual investment returns, despite their assurances.

I pretty much pulled out my contributions with out any real earnings - that all went to the fund managers. They also charged me a percentage of the fund to pull my funds out before age sixty as I signed a fourty year contract.

So how does this relate to the 1987 stockmarket crash? This is my worst investment ever and was pretty much born from the fear of the stockmarket crash and how I could be left with nothing in retirement.

With twelve years to run, I would not have had enough to fund more than a single year of retirement at $60,000 - even the full pension pays $23,250 annually that leaves the majority of pensioners living below the poverty line.

Although I wanted to invest directly myself, the aftermath of the 1987 stockmarket crash caused me to rethink investing and be more conservative. If only I had backed myself in and just invested in assets directly, I would have been so much better off - I only have myself to blame.

The Rolex Yacht-Master II

I was somewhat interested in the Rolex Yacht-Master II, not as a timepiece for myself but more as an example of quality engineering linked to one of my favourite pastimes - racing yachts. So during my research of this masterful timepiece, I took a peek at the price and nearly collapsed. The Rolex website lists the Oyster 44 mm steel and Everose gold Yacht-Master II at $31,950 AUD - whoa.

Whilst I never held any ambitions of owning a new Yacht-Master II, during an internet search I was able to find the cheaper all steel model at the bargain price of $23,650 AUD with the yellow gold model pushing what I thought was the upper limits at $55,250 AUD. Well, that was until I viewed the white gold and platinum model at an outrageous price of $61,050 AUD and I really started to feel giddy. Nonetheless, I see the Yacht-Master II as a stunning example of the Rolex brand and even if I owned one I would never wear it on the boat as too many opportunities for it to be snatched from my wrist by getting tangled in a sheet only to lose it overboard.

The Australian flu season

It is hard to believe a flu season exists, but that is exactly what it is the flu season? The flu vaccine is a common preventative measure in Australia with a vaccine formulated annually before the beginning of the flu season. Although for many, the flu vaccine didn't work this year eroding confidence in the vaccine, now I have to decide if I will trial the vaccine next flu season for at least some protection.

The H3N2 strain has hit harder this year than other years, the flu vaccine apparently mutated faster than anticipated rendering the vaccine useless for many people. For the first time in over a decade, possibly fifteen years I had a dose of the flu and it really sat me on my arse.

They say you quickly work out the difference between a cold and the flu, I certainly had a decent case of influenza. Even worse, I caught mine just before I went on two weeks leave overseas and it really destroyed my holiday, I had a couple of days struggling to get out of bed, I couldn't dive and going out to dinner and drinks was pretty much off the cards. I can't complain though, plenty of people died this year and I just had a slight inconvenience.

Yes, I have had colds in that period but I quickly increase my echinacea dosage and burn it off in a day or two. So what happened? I reduced my vitamin C dosage after suffering kidney issues from what we think was an over indulgence in the vitamin.

My resistance was lowered and I was exposed to a colleague coughing profusely in the workplace without covering up. He refused to take any time off saving his sick days instead wiping out over half the office so the lost time was excessive costing the business unit excessive sick leave payments. Like most other employers, every year we lose staff to sickness during the flu season, all thanks to one selfish person.

How my MBA allowed me to detect corruption in the public sector

As an MBA candidate, research skills are high on the learning agenda; likewise, critical thinking, deductive reasoning and self-reflection are key acclimatisation skills for successful candidates to possess.

Leadership is difficult to apply in an online learning format; whilst the theory may be learnt by reading reference books, it is not an ideal learning environment. Likewise, writing assignments and active participation in case studies allows practical application to be considered less haphazard to embed than pure book learning.

Aside from leadership, pretty much all of the skill-sets are eLearning compatible within a learning management system. These analytical skills are reproduced in the workplace allowing core business concepts to applied in a actual business environment.

A key MBA skill is to identify an issue utilising contemporary diagnostic frameworks, apply analytical concepts to determine a course of action, implement a range of solutions and monitor results.

After two and a half years of part-time tuition; I found it relatively simple to identify a series of abuses of position, a complete lack of academic leadership, coercion, threats, fraudulent financial reporting and the corrupt promotion of staff willing to engage in activities to support the ringleader.

The critical thinking, deductive reasoning and self-reflection skills I learnt during my course certainly assisted in the identification of the corruptive forces acting against the strategic business unit.

A plan needed to be devised to fight the corrupt forces, their strategy was to sideline me, derive me of information and undermine my influence. So the first step is to inform upper management to gain their support so as to address this issue internally.

The other option would be to try and cover it up - this was unfortunately their selection. What was needed was more than reporting of corrupt dealings, a series of solutions including an implementation plan and monitoring.

Should the second option be pursued then the Corruption and Crime Commission, Public Sector Commission, Auditor General, Training Accreditation Council, Department of Training and Workforce Development, Governing Council, Australian Quality Standards Authority.

Even the Minister may need to be informed if instead of internally rectifying this problem isn't addressed. If there is no acceptance that an issue exists by senior management then an external team may need to be brought in to clean this mess up.

I am offering them solutions, I hope they finally make a smart decision and get serious about combating corruption. The issue of corruption in the public sector is a pressing issue that must not be taken lightly, not when public funds are at stake.

Wouldn't it be ironic?

As I battle the forces within the strategic business unit where I am employed; the parasites are taking credit for my work to intentionally undermine my leadership. I ask myself, instead of defending myself, why not go on the offensive and force these very people who believe they are untouchable to defend their actions? I need to put the stress back on them and see how they react.

I didn't start this action but I certainly have the tenacity to not give up, to not let this group of people to run over the top of me and take advantage of my work. So if I have to act offensively, I have to be ruthless and I can't be too concerned how these actions will affect this group or their careers - they started it. Let's face it, they have attempted to sink my career to advance their personal career prospects. So wouldn't it be ironic if by acting offensively to secure my position, I damaged their career prospects. Now that would be a new take on the rule of unintended consequences.

Paradise lost

This is the famous Kuta Beach after some stormy weather; this is not the image the Indonesian authorities would like to be released to the world - you can't really blame them for that.

It is clear it wasn't worth getting in the water, yet plenty of people are more than happy to swim in this ecological disaster - I have no idea why.

Walking on the beach is hazardous, the number of syringes I saw washed up in the rubbish is appalling, large numbers of drug addicts randomly discarding their needles on the beach is a bio-hazard, this issue needs to be addressed.

Surfing through the rubbish, I ask myself - why would you come here and surf in the rubbish dump? The fact that Kuta Beach is a top surfing destination is still a mystery to me, yet people arrive daily in their droves.

Is the third world polluting the earth?

I can't say I have traveled the whole world just yet, I haven't even seen all of Australia although I have seen plenty of the West coast and central inland centres through my employment. I have been lucky enough to explore most but not all of Western Europe and some of Eastern Europe. Likewise, I have spent some time in some Middle Eastern countries with so much more to explore.

Although I have made many trips to South East Asia, I still haven't explored all of the countries in this diverse region. I have seen some of North East Asia but I know there is so much more to explore, these are future trips I am looking forward to undertaking.

I have still to venture to the Central Asian sub-continent countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Africa is large continent with so many countries to visit, yet I have only seen a couple and I have never even set foot in Central and South America but I have seen parts of the North American countries of the United States and Canada.

What I have noticed traveling through developed and developing nations is the attitude to waste management, recycling and the care for the environment. There is a distinct trend where developed nations adapt excellent waste management programs to efficiently dispose of consumer and business waste.

Developing nations, aka the third world choose to not collect rubbish and residents just throw their rubbish on the ground or into rivers where it is swept away and is no longer their problem. The prevalence of developing nations to rely on plastic plastic packaging is immense coupled with poor waste disposal practices of developing nations means this becomes all of our problem.

Unfortunately, nations and individuals solely focusing on their own actions won't solve the plastic entering the ocean issue and decisive world leadership is required. This is really the domain of the United Nations with more funding, research and education required to address this worldwide issue that now affects all of us.

It is easy to cast blame on the developing world; the degree of pollution I have personally witnessed in developing nations is unbelievable with the residents not only passively accepting their fate, they actively participate in the destruction of the natural environment.

This is the world that we all live in, we are all consumers to a degree and the burden of cleaning up the environmental destruction of the earth by the third world now rests on the leadership of the developed world.

A rainy Hong Kong day spent indoors

I was all excited, today was going to be a walking tour of old Hong Kong to view all the colonial era architecture - well that was the plan anyway. In short - it rained, then it rained some more and then it poured.

This wasn't just a light sprinkle, it poured all day and well into the evening; this is where it was decided that this day was going to be spent indoors. Well, what what can you do? I still enjoyed Hong Kong and I didn't need to worry about sunburn I suppose. The shopping malls along the strip at Hong Kong central were very nice, but I didn't fly to Hong Kong from Perth to hang out in shopping malls; but that's exactly what happened - oh well.

Getting accepted into an MBA program

It is often argued that the top MBA business schools use their reputations and branding to attract the best candidates to their schools. The Stanford Graduate School of Business has a 6% acceptance rate, Harvard Business School has an 8% acceptance rate while Oxford's Said Business School not only recruits 95% of candidates outside of the UK, the school has a one in four acceptance rate.

Getting accepted into INSEAD, IMD, IE Business School, ESADE or the London Business School are all outrageously difficult - the better the brand, the harder the school acceptance is. The question is, do the best candidates really benefit from MBA education or is the networking opportunities and school reputations the key to success post graduation?